Nimes

Today I hopped on a train to the nearby city of Nimes. It has the best-preserved Colosseum in the ancient Roman world. I took the audiotour, but honestly it was full of over-simplifications about Roman life. One of the curses of studying history is the inability to enjoy guided tours geared for entertainment value. C’est la vie. Le sigh. Even the Maison Carré hosted a 3-D movie about the “Heroes of Nimes.” Watching a 3-D movie inside Roman ruins is an extremely bizarre experience for me.  The best part of Nimes was definitely the Jardin de la Fontaine, which contains the ruins of a Temple of Diane, as well as a series of trails and roads that wind their way up to the Tour Magne, an ancient watchtower with a terrific panorama of the city, and possibly the most terrifying staircase in the history of man. To reach the viewpoint, you must climb many narrow steps that wind their way around a cylinder in the middle of the tower. Only a rickety railing keeps you from falling to your death onto the Roman stones. The view was worth it. The walk back through the garden as the sun was sinking was particularly wonderful. I found a small meadow with bizarre blue wood chips. I reminded me of something out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

Montpellier-Part Deux

I had an even better second day in Montpellier. I sold a book in the basement of a French paper supply store, and then spent the money on a nice, leisurely breakfast (double espresso included.) Florence had suggested a street with boutiques and specialty stores for shopping in Montpellier. If I had brought an extra suitcase, it would be full of things from Montpellier. Especially since at the moment, everything is lavender-scented. I met a quirky girl from England who worked in a cute shop where I wanted to buy everything. 

We talked for an hour about couchsurfing, wwoofing, and how after one vacation, she ended up living in France for the last five years! She gave me good advice about London, where she grew up. I left the shop and was right in front of the church of Saint Roch, who was the son of the noble governor of Montpellier. 

I missed the festival of Saint Roch the weekend before, where they have a reenactment in the streets. I was the only one in the church, so I had a peaceful moment of prayer for my family. Saint Roch is a comforting image, with his little dog offering him food at his feet.

 I spent many hours that afternoon in the Musee Fabre. It holds France’s largest art collection outside Paris. My favorite pieces were “Albayde” by Alexandre Cabanel

 (not my photo)

and another work by Paul Signac that I can’t remember the name of. It was a scene of a country road lined by trees in the style of pointillism. I think my dad would really like it, but I can’t find a picture to post here. Afterward, I spent a few hours on a bench in a church garden reading The World According to Garp by John Irving. The light was so beautiful as the sun was setting that I didn’t want to leave. 

Montpellier

I had one more day in Barcelona before I went on le France. I stayed at the Centric Point Hostel, which definitely had all the services of the best of hostels, but it made me lonely after staying with Marta and Nora.  It was harder than I thought to interact with other travelers, but I was only there for less than one day. I spent all morning in a fabulous bookstore called La Central.

 It reminded me of Analog. I picked up a copy of The World According to Garp, which kept me entertained on the train ride to Montpellier that afternoon.

Montpellier is charming in a way that reminds me of Disneyland. 

I have never gotten lost as many times as I have in this city, and I have been here one day. My host is Florence, a freelance journalist who lives on a street that is very cute and very French. On my way out this morning, I stopped at a boulangerie for a croissant. When I said "un croissant" she thought I said "deux" so I ended up with two croissants, which is surprisingly filling. I spent the morning in the city center looking for this English bookstore. I scanned a few guidebooks on Montpellier to find out what there is to see here. So, I went to a small museum inside an old mansion where I was the only person in the whole place. The girl at the front desk even had to turn on some of the lights for me! They had a great collection of antique maps, which I loved. Then, I spent the afternoon outside the city a free zoo and an indoor rainforest. 

This man donated money to build a zoo under the condition that it be free to the public. The zoo was shady and cool, but the animals were mostly sleeping. Never go to a zoo between noon and three o’clock. It’s naptime. But, the ostriches really liked having their photo taken. 

I wish I could say the same for the rhinos. 

The rainforest was amazing, all these colorful frogs and bird and scary snakes and fish. 

and one badass iguana.

Gastronomia

Even though this a budget travel experience, I have eaten in a lot of impressive Mallorquin restaurants. I am lucky that my couchsurfing tendencies provide me with more local, traditional food than the average tourist in the Islas Baleares. On one of my first nights, I ate at the well-known-but-not-overhyped Bar Bosch. I didn’t even realize it was one of the recommendations in my Wallpaper* guidebook til days afterward. I already described the tumbet and their crusty, buttery bread, but it’s so good I’m mentioning it again. The bread comes in small loaves, on which you rub a bit of garlic. Cut a small tomato in half and spread the juices on the bread. Lastly, pour over a generous amount of olive oil and eat. I would eat this with every meal from here on out. ¡Disfruta! When I wanted to try the traditional Mallorquin pastry, ensaimadas, Marta took me to the place “where families go on Christmas Eve.” It was a charming heladeria that reminded me of Edith Wharton. The tables and walls were so turn-of-the-century, with antique photos and floral curtains to boot. I had the ensaimada with helado de almendra. This almond icemilk is one of the examples of how Mallorca’s almond crops are made into delicious treats. Marta had a cuarto, which was like a sweet cake/bread hybrid. I preferred the light, sugary flakiness of the ensaimada. In fact, I had one the next morning with apricots at this restaurant in central Mallorca. Marta explained that the restaurant is owned by three sisters who do not get along. She said you can go in once and have something that is really good, but the same dish can be terrible when another sister takes over her shift. I thought their pa amb oli was good, but I got a piece of plastic from the ham wrapping stuck in my teeth.  Last night, Marta and I had an intimate dinner at Can Pedro. I filled up on pa amb tomaquet, so I couldn’t really eat my pork loin. Marta ordered conejo, or rabbit, which I have never eaten before. Marta was saying that people in CZ were turned off by the idea of eating cute little bunnies. It was delicious. Today we met Luis’s aunt in San Severa, and went out to a family lunch at a buffet. I’ve had an open mind for trying new foods on this trip, which is a big change for me. It took a bit of nerve, but I actually ate snails. Marta’s mom handed me one on a toothpick, what’s a girl to do? I am glad I tried it, but that’s probably the last time I ever eat a snail. I have too many memories of stepping on them when I was little and hearing that horrible noise. I really enjoyed the “poor cake” that Luis made me eat (I was full!) It tasted like a combination of a coconut cake with a crème brulee filling and carmelized sugar coating. If that’s how the poor eat in San Severa, I think I will move there after this trip is over!

Cala Mesquida

Yesterday was a road trip out to the other side of Mallorca.  Marta’s family wanted to take me to this nice non-touristy beach on the eastern side of the island, Cala Mesquida. Marta and I lounged on beach chairs and played in the water with her dad and sister. Her dad is very sweet and goofy, pointing to every mountain or rock in Mallorca to tell me something about its history. “Mira, la Sierra!” “Mira, el Castell de Palma!” He also tries to feed me way too much food, which is why I fell asleep on the car ride home. We had stopped for a gigantic plate of seafood with lemon and allioli. I definitely ate some shellfish, but I couldn’t tell you what kind. I wish I had taken a picture, but we were all too hungry to think about anything but digging in. That night, we went to Natalia and Iris’s apartment to have dinner, dance to popular Spanish songs, and drink pomada, a Mallorquin specialty of Mallorquin gin and frozen lemonade soda. We eventually made it to the beach party of Iris’s couchsurfing friend. We danced in a drum circle and I watched Natalia play with these ribbon things that reminded me of the Humboldt Circus when they came to CZ.

Llucalcari

Today I met Marta at the Plaça d'Espanya after she got off work at the university. We went to her friend Natalia’s house to catch a ride to Llucalcari, a rocky beach on the western side of Mallorca. The drive out to the beach wound through mountain villages with stone houses set into the hillside. 

We had to hike quite a bit to get to the beach, but it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The style of the beach is “natural” which means most of the sunbathers are completely naked. Right away, we all dove into the water after the sweaty hike.

  There is a area where the water reaches the earth and creates a mud that is supposed to be a miracle treatment for the skin, so I spent some of my sunbathing time watching people cover their bodies in the mineral-rich mud. All that was left to do was enjoy a lovely sunset.

Palma de Mallorca

The ferry from Barcelona to Mallorca gave me a sense of epic travel, like I was on the Titanic before they knew about the iceberg.  The couple behind me were watching Indiana Jones and as we rounded the peninsula and the city of Palma spread out before me, the theme (dun da dun da, dun dada!) was playing. I love when it feels like life is actually a movie. I spent the first day alone at the beach in Cala Major, while Marta worked. The water was clear and warm, but I can’t shake my fear of being stung by a jellyfish (medusa) and just enjoy a swim. After her parents and I picked Marta up from work, we walked around downtown Palma and got this great shot of the cathedral from the balcony at Es Baluard Museu. 

We had a Mallorquin dinner of tumbet from Bar Bosco. I don’t think I could eat enough of their pa amb oli. 

Parc Güell

Today was a lovely Barcelona day spent with the other tourists in Parc Güell. I had the insider's tour because Milagros and Jordí explained each monument and building. Gaudí combined the story of Catalonia's founding, the legend of San Jordí, Greek myth (in the form of a dragon who guarded the Temple of Apollo at Delphi), and famously, his use of hallucinogenic mushroom. The building that was supposed to house the administration had a magic mushroom as a chimney. Nora and I agreed that going to work in the whimsical Hansel-and-Gretel style buildings would make daydream all day about living in a fantasy world. 

Afterward, we drove down to La Sagrada Familia, the last thing on my list of Barca touristy sites to see this week. It was much bigger and grander than I expected. Jordí showed me the carving of the Virgin that his great-grandmother modeled for.  They explained the debate between Barceloneses over whether or not to finish the cathedral after Gaudí died. I am not sure, but I can understand both sides.

 We stopped for a cold drink across from La Sagrada Familia, in a little cafe that Jordí went to as a teenager. It was a very hot day, but in the shade of a tree with a cold cerveza and the cathedral in the background, it seemed like the most beautiful place. I wanted to take a picture with Jordí looking across the table at his wife, but I feared the camera would not capture the essence of this peaceful moment.

Tonight: Las Fiestas de Gràcia. Tomorrow: Sitges y Castelldefels!

Barcelona -Couchsurfing with Nora

I am enjoying an extremely authentic experience with Nora's family. We sleep late (one o'clock is very unlike me) and have a long leisurely lunch til three or four. Nora was very understanding about my strange interest in department stores and supermarkets. I arrived at El Prat airport with about five hours of sleep and an airplane breakfast in me. I met with Nora in front of the Café Zurich in Plaça Catalunya. We had coffee, which made me feel whole again. Nora’s flat is in the neighborhood of Gràcia, which happened to be having their Fiestas while am visiting. We spent a whole day poolside at the Olympic Pools on Montjuïc. Afterward, Milagros and Jordí brought the dogs up for a walk around the fortress of Montjuïc. The sun was a brilliant red as it set.